The Empire Ranch Garden Tub, Replaced With a Real Walk-In Shower.

The Empire Ranch garden tub is the single most-converted feature in Folsom. Toll Brothers spec'd it on nearly every 2002-to-2008 master floor plan — a 60x42 drop-in soaking tub on a tiled deck, separate from the shower, sized for two but in practice used by no one. Most current Folsom owners have not run water in that tub in years. They want that footprint back as a proper walk-in shower with frameless glass, large-format porcelain, and a thermostatic valve that does not scald them when someone flushes a toilet.

We run this conversion 35 to 50 times a year inside Folsom city limits, and the playbook is consistent. We know where Toll Brothers ran the rough-ins. We know which Centex and JMC valve cartridges have failed (most of them, by year 22). We know which Empire Ranch sub-HOAs care about exterior venting changes and which ones do not. That repetition is what makes a 16-to-22 day build possible without the chaos most Folsom homeowners have heard horror stories about.

What we tear out, and what we typically find

Every Folsom conversion starts with a controlled demo. We pull the tub, the deck tile, the drop-in surround, and the substrate, all the way down to the studs and the slab. In about 75 percent of Empire Ranch and Briggs Ranch master baths we tear into, we find one of three predictable conditions hiding underneath. The most common is degraded green-board behind the original tile — Toll Brothers and Centex generally did not specify cementboard or membrane systems on these masters in 2002 to 2008. The second is hidden water damage in the bottom plate of the wall behind the valve. The third is a loose or undersized vent in the trap arm that does not meet 2026 code.

None of this is a surprise. We carry a contingency in the original quote so the project does not stall when we find the issue. Once the studs and slab are exposed, we install a fresh mortar bed, a Schluter Kerdi membrane bonded with thinset, Schluter Kerdi-Band at every seam and corner, and a Schluter linear or center drain depending on layout. The waterproofing is a complete bonded system warrantied by Schluter for the life of the install.

Folsom by the subdivision — what conversion looks like

Empire Ranch (1998 to 2008, Toll Brothers). Largest single block of conversion work we run. The Empire Ranch master typically has the garden tub on a back wall and the shower on a side return. We expand the shower into the tub footprint, demo the deck, pour a new slab section, and end up with a 60-to-84 inch walk-in shower with the original separate water closet retained. Typical investment: $28,000 to $44,000 for a master conversion.

Briggs Ranch (2002 to 2010, Centex and JMC). Slightly tighter master footprints. Same general layout as Empire Ranch but the conversion usually lands at 60 inches rather than 72+. Centex valves from this era have a particular cartridge issue we see weekly — full valve replacement is standard. Typical investment: $24,000 to $38,000.

Broadstone & Russell Ranch (2005 to 2015, JTS and K. Hovnanian). Slightly newer plumbing, slightly smaller masters. Most conversions here are simpler hall-bath alcove tub-to-shower swaps rather than master garden-tub conversions. Typical investment: $18,000 to $30,000.

Lexington Hills, Prairie Oaks Ranch (2015+). Newer Folsom housing with original everything. Conversions here are usually preference-driven (homeowner just does not like baths) rather than failure-driven. Typical investment: $22,000 to $36,000.

Folsom permits and HOA, demystified

The City of Folsom requires a building/plumbing permit for any tub-to-shower conversion. Permit fees on a typical $35,000 project run $480 in 2026, including plan check, rough plumbing inspection, and final inspection. Title 24 energy review is generally not triggered by a conversion unless you add heated floors (which we recommend in master baths — about $1,800 added cost for a 40-square-foot mat).

For Empire Ranch, Briggs Ranch, Broadstone, and the various Lexington Hills sub-HOAs, the architectural review process matters mostly for any change to exterior venting (e.g., relocating a master bath exhaust fan to an exterior wall). Interior-only conversion work generally does not require ARC review, but we always confirm in writing with the HOA before demo. The submission, when needed, is a one-page form plus a marked-up floor plan; we prepare and submit on your behalf.